the Observer The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Volume 44 : Issue 81 Thursday, January 28, 2010 ndsmcobserver.com Protesters deliver letter, ask for policy change Students and faculty hold a ‘No Home Under the Dome’ rally, NDSP denies group entrance to Main Building By JOHN TIERNEY News Writer Demonstrators attempted to deliver a letter addressed to University President Fr. John Jenkins demanding that sexual orientation be included in Notre Dame’s non-discrimination clause to Main Building Wednesday. The letter was accepted by an administrative assistant from Jenkins’s office See Also after student Full text of organizers of the “No Home letter to Under the Jenkins Dome” demon- page 8 stration and faculty partici- pants were denied access to the building by a Notre Dame Security Police (NDSP) officer. The letter, part of an initiative to add sexual orientation to the University’s non-discrimination clause and formally support a gay-straight alliance on campus, asked that the University “move beyond words and into concrete actions which fully bring [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and ally students] into equality at Notre Dame.” The protest organized at the corner of Angela Blvd. and Notre Dame Ave. Over 200 participants walked up Notre Dame Ave. to Main PAT COVENEY/The Observer Demonstrators walk a letter for University President Fr. John Jenkins from the entrance at Notre Dame Avenue to Main Building with see PROTEST/page 8 purple tape over their mouths. They asked that sexual orientation be added to Notre Dame’s non-discrimination clause. Students gather for FOTO sponsors Haiti benefit concert By JOHN CAMERON President’s address News Writer Students packed the LaFortune Ballroom Wednesday night for the “Hearts 4 Haiti Benefit Concert.” The concert — spon- sored by Friends of the O r p h a n s See Also (FOTO) — “FOTO raises raised funds funds for for Haiti relief following the Haiti” Jan. 12 earth- page 6 quake that d e v a s t a t e d AP President Barack Obama makes his first State of the Union the nation’s capital of Port-au- address Wednesday. Prince. The concert featured The SUZANNA PRATT/The Observer ing his first State of the Union Undertones, student-musician The Undertones, an acapella group, performs at the “Hearts 4 By LIZ O’DONNELL address on Wednesday evening. Pat McKillen and the Notre Haiti Benefit Concert” Wednesday night in LaFortune Ballroom. News Writer Obama opened the speech by Dame Brass Band. The encouraging Congress to work Undertones performed 1990s included a surprisingly success- students,” freshman Erin Students gathered in the together in the upcoming year to classics such as “Breakfast at ful acoustic rendition of Wright said. LaFortune television lounge to help return the nation to its for- Tiffany’s” and “The Lion Sleeps Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok.” FOTO, a student club founded watch President Barack Obama mer state of prosperity. Tonight.” The songs were fol- “I thought the concert was a by Notre Dame junior Michael speak about the nation’s econo- lowed by both originals and great showing of the talents my and healthcare reform dur- see OBAMA/page 6 covers by McKillen, which and generosity of Notre Dame see CONCERT/page 8 INSIDE TODAY’S PAPER LaFortune computer cluster remodel page 3 N Men’s basketball falls to Villanova page 24 N ‘Book of Eli’ review page 12 N Viewpoint page 10 page 2 The Observer N PAGE 2 Thursday, January 28, 2010 INSIDE COLUMN QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS? My middle ground I’ve been thinking a lot about stereotypes. At the beginning of the fall semes- Colin Keeler Lauren Aristorenas Neil O’Dougherty Ryan McCargar ter, I taught my friend Tess about The Notre Dame football coaching sophomore sophomore freshman junior staff and told her Standford Lewis Kennan Keenan to sound impres- sive by talking about Frank “Obviously, the “LaFun. It has “Kennan Hall ... “Hesburgh Verducci and his greatest prison everything you Where dreams International approach to the complex on could ever come true.” Cafè. The offensive line (A lot of good that does campus, need.” pancakes are her now). After Stanford Hall.” the bomb.” that lesson, she called me a Laura Myers “Renaissance woman.” I’m not Assistant really sure what Sports Editor that means. Have an idea for Question of the Day? E-mail [email protected] What I do know is that it’s hard to break out of any sort of feminine stereotype. On the morning of IN BRIEF Thursday, Jan. 7, I was contemplat- ing that very issue as I drove to the A conference titled bank. It seems you can either con- “Catalytic Material by form to a stereotype, or be opposite Design” will begin at 8:15 a.m. to it. today. Only Notre Dame stu- But where’s the middle ground? I dents and faculty may attend. imagined that a lot of women my age The conference will be held in wonder the same thing as they try to McKenna Hall Auditorium. figure out what to do with their lives. That night I sat down in front of The Office for Civic and Social our high-definition television, ate Engagement will sell carna- Buffalo wings and yelled at the tions at 11 a.m. today in the screen as Nick Saban classlessly Student Center Atrium at coached his way to a national cham- Saint Mary’s College. The pro- pionship. ceeds from the flower sales will I don’t think there are any grounds benefit the sponsorship of a to the idea that women don’t like house for Rebuilding Together. wings or football or hating on Nick Saban, but I was still being an anti- Daily Mass will be held at stereotype at that moment. 11:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. in After the game, my mom and sister the Basilica of the Sacred went to bed and my dad went to the Heart today. basement to watch the Cavs. I went into the kitchen, popped in my “Otello” will be shown in “Fearless: Platinum” CD and began Browning Cinema in the to clean so that I could bake cookies TOM LA/The Observer Debartolo Performing Arts for the next-door neighbors, who had Students walk across a snow-covered North Quad Wednesday. After several days Center at 7 p.m. today. For just had a baby boy. of warm weather, students experienced the first significant snowfall of the tickets, please call 574-631- In other words, I was being a sub- semester. 2800. urban housewife. Well, I opened the cabinet under A Christian Unity Prayer the sink to get some Ajax, and out Service will be held at 7:15 crawled a big spider. p.m. today in the Basilica of My first thought was to call my dad OFFBEAT the Sacred Heart. to come kill it for me. Then, I real- ized: 3-year-old dials 911 after said the call was very unusu- Wednesday morning A symposium titled “Thomas “No. This is my middle ground!” grandmother has seizure al. Usually, when a child that while firefighters dealt Aquinas Theology” will be So, I grabbed my dad’s shoe and MAPLE SHADE, N.J. – A 3- age dials 911 she says, it’s an with the burning bagel in held at 7 p.m. in the Student took a whack at the spider. The little year-old New Jersey boy was accident. the break room of Mayor Center Lounge today. guy was crafty, though. He played hailed as a hero after he But she said it shows that Sam Adam’s office. dead, and once some time had called 911 on Friday after his young children can be taught There’s no immediate “Romeo and Juliet” will be passed he figured he was okay and grandmother had a seizure. how to get help in an emer- word on who burned the presented by the Actors from began to rappel away. Jaden Bolli was at grand- gency. bagel in the toaster oven the London Stage. The per- I got him in the end, though. I cele- mother Patricia Bolli’s home Patricia Bolli is in a hospi- or what type of bagel it formance will begin at 7:30 brated by dancing to “Hey Stephen,” in Maple Shade because his tal, where doctors are trying was. p.m. today in Washington and then continued to wash the dish- other grandmother, who was to diagnose her City commissioners Hall. Tickets are $20 for the es. scheduled to watch him, was were meeting at the time general public, $18 for senior Of course, I would now like to bring sick. When the 54-year-old Portland City Hall evacuated and joined those who citizens and $12 for students. this together by using the acts of grandma went to get out due to overcooked bagel took to the sidewalks. To purchase tickets, please call baking cookies and killing spiders as some puzzles, she had a PORTLAND, Ore. — An Adams apologized for the 574-631-2800. some overarching metaphor for femi- seizure. The boy found a overdone bagel forced interruption after the nism and life as a woman, but I don’t phone and dialed 911 for the evacuation of evacuation. To submit information to be have the literary skills to pull that help as his mother taught Portland’s City Hall. The included in this section of The off. him to do just days before. Oregonian reported that Information compiled Observer, e-mail detailed The point is that I found a middle Burlington County 911 City Hall emptied for from the Associated information about an event to ground in between being a stereotype Coordinator Monica Gavio about 20 minutes Press.